Photo of Angelika’s dolls house showing Father Christmas delivering presents. Our thanks to Angelika for allowing us to use this photo.
Today Father Christmas and Santa Claus are taken to be one and the same, however the origins of Father Christmas are very different and much older than those of Santa Claus.
Father Christmas (originally known as Father Winter) can be found in many old English legends, where he traditionally wore green and rode a magic flying horse and delivered presents. This may have had even earlier origins in Norse mythology where Odin rides a flying horse called Sleipnir and delivers presents during the mid winter feast of Yule.
Many think the green robe worn by Father Christmas may have had its roots in the ancient Green Man legends (where the Green man represents eternal life). However by Victorian times pictures of Father Christmas show him wearing the more common red robes with which we associate him today, (and as pictured in Angelika’s dolls house above-our thanks to Angelika for allowing us to use this photo).
Whatever you believe the origins to be, think of the many children hanging up stockings and waiting with anticipation to see what Father Christmas or Santa Claus will bring them tonight.
We would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas.